South Africa has a better climate, with clear skies all year round, but sometimes the sun is too strong, and guests are advised to use sunscreen. From October to March, the average temperature is 15 degrees at night and 35 degrees at noon. In winter, from April to September, there is a big difference in temperature, about 0 degrees at night and 20 degrees at noon. Please choose appropriate clothing for your trip. There is a big difference in temperature between morning and evening in South Africa, so please pay attention to add clothing, and when viewing animals in the safari park by car, please pay attention to keep warm and wear a hat because of the strong wind.

Accommodation:

1. South African hotels usually do not have toothbrushes, toothpaste, slippers and other disposable items you need to bring your own.

2. The voltage in South Africa is 220/230V, 50Hz AC, you need to bring your own plug.

Customs regulations:

Travelers are allowed to bring 400 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 250 grams of tobacco, 2 liters of wine, 1 liter of spirits and personal gifts not exceeding R1,250 into the country. If the value of the items you bring in exceeds R10,000, customs will pay a duty of 20%.

Cash in excess of $20,000 must be declared to Customs.

Foreign travelers who buy souvenirs in South Africa, where the amount exceeds R250, within 90 days from the date of purchase, can apply for a refund of value-added tax (V.A.T.) at the airport tax rebate office upon departure

Attachment: Notice to Chinese Citizens Going to South Africa

A. Special Reminders

South Africa's law and order situation is not good, burglary, robbery, theft and other cases occur from time to time in warehouses. The Embassy reminds Chinese nationals residing in South Africa of the importance of the law and order situation in South Africa. The Embassy reminds Chinese citizens living in South Africa to be more vigilant, strengthen security measures, to protect their own safety, especially to guard against tailing robberies, and reasonably adjust the operating hours to avoid high crime time, while taking out insurance, calmly respond to deal with emergencies, in order to prevent their own personal, property damage.

Two, visa, entry and customs

(a) visa

Chinese citizens, regardless of what kind of passport to visit South Africa, are required to apply for a visa. Holders of diplomatic passports, official passports and ordinary passports are not required to pay a deposit to apply for a visa: South African citizens and citizens with permanent residence in South Africa are not required to pay a deposit to invite their immediate family members to visit their relatives in South Africa to apply for a visa; travel agencies authorized by our country to organize tour groups to visit South Africa do not need to pay a deposit to apply for visas; all other persons applying for visas are required to pay the Embassy of South Africa in Beijing a deposit of 15,000 yuan, which will be used for the purpose of obtaining visas for those who return home on time (with the deposit). The deposit will be refunded to those who return home on time (with the original deposit receipt).

(II) Entry and transit

A valid passport and visa are required for entry into South Africa, and no transit visa is required for transit through South Africa as long as the person does not leave the airport (temporary rule). Upon request, travelers must present their return or combined air tickets and international health certificates to customs and immigration officials at the airport upon entry. Persons entering South Africa through a yellow fever area without an international health certificate must be vaccinated before entering the country.

(C) Customs Regulations

Travelers are allowed to bring in 400 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 250 grams of tobacco, 2 liters of wine, 1 liter of spirits and personal gifts not exceeding R1250. If the value of the items you bring in exceeds R10,000, customs will pay a duty of 20%.

Cash in excess of $20,000 must be declared to Customs.

Foreign travelers who purchase souvenirs in South Africa, where the amount exceeds R250, within 90 days from the date of purchase, can apply for a refund of value-added tax (V.A.T.) at the airport tax rebate office when leaving the country

Third, the security situation and law and order

Law and order

South Africa is one of the countries with a high crime rate in the world. The main forms of crime are robbery with knives and guns, carjacking, theft, violence against women, rape and so on. Especially in recent years, against my Chinese businessmen's warehouse thefts occur frequently, resulting in my business people in South Africa suffered huge losses.

Suggested precautions

1, home security

Choose apartments and residential areas with good security records; have high walls, power grids, electric gates and security guards; install surveillance control systems and alarm devices; raise dogs and choose good neighbors; learn to identify real and fake police, know the alarm numbers of the police station and the security company in the place where you are living and keep in touch with the Consulate's consular department. Learn to recognize real and fake police officers. When you are in and out of your home, pay attention to whether there are suspicious robbers ambush or follow.

2, the company's security

sound security system, choose a well-known security company, the installation of closed-circuit surveillance system, the company should not store a lot of cash, open the office lighting system at night, the company's property insurance.

3, car safety

Driving, pay attention not to open the windows at high speed intersections and traffic signals near the car, do not place the bag and valuables in the car in the eye-catching location or stay in the car, such as going the wrong way, do not get off the car to find out the way to the car to the nearby gas station or fast-food restaurants, to the station, the store employees to ask for directions. Before entering the parking lot, pay attention to the surrounding area to see if there are any suspicious people. The first thing you need to do is to get out of the airport and find someone to follow you on the road, don't stop and drive to the nearest police station or call 10111.

4. Bank safety

Sometimes, when you need to withdraw a large amount of cash from a bank, the bank manager will ask you to give a day's notice, and by then, the secret of your withdrawing a large amount of cash may already be known to the world. It is safer to make use of checking or bank transfer services.

ATM safety

1. After inserting your ATM card, press the PIN number so that it can be seen by others.

ii. After completing the data entry process, if the banknotes do not come out, the outlet may be blocked with transparent tape, so be careful and check carefully, as the banknotes may be blocked from coming out.

Third, you must retrieve the receipt, do not let anyone know your account data.

Fourth, if your ATM card is stuck in the ATM, and a stranger comes up to help you, don't accept it and call the ATM center for help immediately.

v. Beware of any traceability after you get your money back.

Security of bulk payroll

i. Change the time or date of payroll. ii.

ii. When dealing with a large bank, do not notify the bank in advance that you are going to withdraw a large amount of cash, as large bank branches often have a lot of cash available.

3. Many banks now offer small deposits, so it is worthwhile to open a bank account for your employees and use the bank transfer service to pay their salaries.

Fourth, buy insurance for your cash.

How a security company can help

1. If you are withdrawing a large amount of cash from a bank, hire a security company to help escort it.

Second, you can negotiate with the bank to send security personnel to support.

IV. Common Diseases and Medical Conditions

(A) AIDS and Prevention

1. HIV Knowledge

South Africa is one of the countries with the highest rate of HIV infection in the world, and there are about 5 million HIV carriers. For Chinese people coming to South Africa, HIV is a problem that should never be ignored.

2. How to prevent HIV infection

Although AIDS is an extremely dangerous infectious disease, it can be prevented for individuals, and the main preventive measures are as follows:

(1) Do not have pre-marital sex;

(2) Do not take drugs in any way;

(3) Do not readily accept transfusions of blood and blood products (if you have to use them, ask the hospital to provide you with HIV-tested and tested products). request hospitals to provide HIV-tested blood and blood products);

(4) not to use needles, syringes, gauze, cotton pads and other paraphernalia with other people;

(5) not to go to medical institutions or other places that are not strictly sterilized to have injections, tooth extraction, ear and eye piercing, tattooing, eyebrow tattooing, acupuncture or surgeries;

(6) avoiding to get involved with blood of injured people in the course of daily rescue; and blood of an injured person;

(7) not to use with others*** utensils that may puncture the skin, such as toothbrushes, shavers and electric razors.

(ii) Malaria and Prevention

The lowland areas of Mpumalanga, the Limpopo River, and the Maputaland Coast in KwaZulu-Natal are areas where malaria occurs, but in the winter it largely disappears. Although the malaria-infested areas are limited and are places that are rarely visited by the average tourist, it is best to take adequate precautions if you choose to travel to these malaria-infested areas.

The South African government has embarked on a number of programs (in partnership with Swaziland and Mozambique) that are designed to eradicate malaria, and the malaria-affected areas are now shrinking. In general malaria is not as scary as we think, as long as you don't come into contact with it you won't catch it that easily, unless you are bitten by a mosquito with the malaria virus. Nowadays, advances in insecticides and some common sense hygiene have reduced the risk of mosquito bites to near zero.

The easiest, safest, and most limited way to prevent malaria is to have a few mosquito repellents, such as a mosquito net, and some effective insecticides on hand. If you are determined to do some preventive work, you can follow the instructions to take some oral malaria medicines, you have to start taking them one to two weeks before you leave for the infected area, and you must continue to take them for four weeks after you leave the infected area. It is advisable to consult a medical expert before you start taking these medicines. It is important to note that these medicines are contraindicated for pregnant women.

(C) Health conditions and health insurance

Compared with other African countries, South Africa's health care is relatively good. Private hospitals in large cities are well-equipped. There are provincial public hospitals in all provinces and cities. The cost of treatment in public hospitals is not high, but there are many patients and long waiting times. Private hospitals are in good condition and offer good services, but charge higher fees. Emergency ambulances are a paid service. There are about 360 provincial public hospitals and 344 private hospitals in South Africa.

Medical insurance is the responsibility of the insurance company, individuals voluntarily insured, according to the amount of premiums, designated public or private hospitals, enjoy different medical services. During the insurance period, the costs of visiting the doctor and hospitalization are settled directly between the hospital and the insurance company.

The piped tap water in South Africa is of good quality and can be drunk directly. However, there is a possibility of schistosomiasis parasites in rivers and lakes, so you should avoid drinking it directly or swimming in unfamiliar waters. In addition, people traveling to the northern part of Limpopo Province or Kruger Park in summer are advised to take anti-malaria medication in advance and pay attention to preventing mosquito bites, such as fever, cold sweats, headache, abdominal pain and other symptoms, be sure to consult a doctor in a timely manner.

South Africa is one of the countries with the highest number of HIV-infected people in the world, but the infection is only through blood and body fluids, as long as individuals are clean.

V. Local customs and regulations

(a) South African etiquette

1, social etiquette

South African social etiquette can be summarized as "black and white", "British-based". The so-called "black and white" refers to: by race, religion, custom constraints, South Africa's blacks and whites follow different social etiquette; British-oriented refers to: in a long period of history, the white man in control of South Africa's political power, the white man's social etiquette, especially British social etiquette prevalent in South African society.

At present, in social occasions, South Africans use the common courtesy of meeting is a handshake, and they address the object of interaction is mainly "Mr.", "Miss", or "Mrs.". Mr.", "Miss", or "Mrs.". In the black tribes, especially in the rural areas, black South Africans tend to show a different style from the mainstream of society. For example, they are accustomed to ostrich feathers or peacock feathers gifted to VIPs, guests at the moment decent practice is to insert these precious feathers in their hats or hair.

2, dress etiquette

In the middle of the city, South Africans dress basically westernized. On formal occasions, they all pay attention to dress modestly and rigorously. Therefore, when conducting official or business interactions, it is best to wear conservative styles, colorful suits or dresses, or else the other party will be regarded as rude. In addition, black South Africans usually have the habit of wearing their own national costume. Different tribes of black people in the dress often have their own different characteristics.

3, dining etiquette

South Africa, the local white weekdays to eat Western-style food, often eat beef, chicken, eggs and bread, love to drink coffee and tea, South Africa's famous drink is such as treasure tea. In South Africa, black people's homes as guests, the hosts generally send freshly squeezed milk or goat's milk, sometimes homemade beer. Guests must drink more, preferably in one drink. Non-black people like to eat beef, mutton, staple food is corn, potatoes, beans. Do not like raw food, love to eat cooked food.

4, custom taboos

South Africans believe in Christianity, taboo number 13; South African blacks very much admire their ancestors, they are especially jealous of outsiders to their ancestors words and deeds disrespect.

5, in the public *** occasions do not shout, spit or throw debris, to keep neatly dressed, decent.

6, prices and supply

South Africa's prices have increased every year, but the increase is not large, the market is rich in materials, supply is sufficient. In South Africa, Chinese goods can be found everywhere, in Joburg, Bitou and other major cities have Chinese groceries, souvenir stores. Chinese clothing stores run by Chinese people are almost all over the South African towns and cities.

(a) currency

South Africa's monetary unit is the rand, which is the international symbol ZAR (banknotes are divided into 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 rand, coins are divided into 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1 cents). 1 rand = 100 cents. 2006 the rand's approximate exchange rate of 1 U.S. dollar = 6-7 rand. Traveler's checks and other major foreign currencies can be exchanged at major hotels, airports, and commercial banks. Foreign exchange market fluctuations are reflected in daily exchange rate changes. Exchangers can simply bring their passports for the process; banks charge a fee of about 4%. Bank opening hours are: Monday to Friday: 08:30-15:30; Saturday: 08:30-11:00. Most of the students who come to South Africa carry VISA or MASTER card because the security situation in South Africa is not very good, so it is relatively safer to carry card than cash. At present, 1 rand is about 1.3 RMB.

(B) shopping

South Africans shopping basically go to the supermarket, the local large supermarkets are Pick 'n Pay, Game, Shoprite, Spar and so on. You can buy everything from food to clothes. Food prices are generally more expensive than domestic, generally speaking, cucumber about 5 rand / strip. Eggplants are about R8/kg, tomatoes are about R7/kg, cabbage is a common dish here and is about R7/pc, carrots are R4/kg, onion heads are R4/kg, potatoes are R6/kg, eggs are R15/18, and chicken is R14/kg. South Africa's locally produced fruits are cheaper than the domestic

South Africa's clothing brands are basically all "berai products", such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok, and so on, in this place is very popular, the local Mr. Price, Edgar, etc.

Seven, transportation and travel

Travel p> South Africa's traffic safety and travel notes

South Africa's transportation is developed, the highway in all directions, but due to the fast speed, South Africa's vicious traffic accidents have become one of the three major killers in South Africa. In the city, the main means of transportation for private cars, mass transit is backward, only a few bus lines, and the vast majority of minibuses. There are airplanes and trains between major cities, but train frequency is less, and there are some safety problems.

South Africa's traffic rules are to drive on the left, the right side of the overtaking? (unlike China). In the national highway (highway), the maximum speed of 120 km / h, in the second class highway speed of up to 100 km / h, the maximum speed of 60 km / h town streets, except for special signs. If you exceed the speed limit, you are likely to be captured by a speed camera placed at the speed limit or by the police, and you will be fined or detained.

To drive a vehicle in South Africa, you must have a valid South African driver's license, a Commonwealth driver's license or an international driver's license. Some other national licenses must be notarized and certified in accordance with regulations. Drivers and passengers must fasten their seatbelts during the driving process, so as to avoid some unexpected traffic accidents that may bring harm or unhappiness to the whole journey.

In addition, the basic things to pay attention to when traveling? There are the following points: 1, in view of the characteristics of South Africa's relatively high crime rate, overseas tourists travel in pairs as far as possible, do not act alone, should be familiar with the local situation of the friends to lead the activities; 2, due to the high speed highway speed, fatigue is strictly prohibited to drive or driving under the influence of alcohol; 3, go on safari to play, you should strictly abide by the park? Provisions, pay particular attention to unauthorized get off, feed the animals; 4, South Africa's sunshine is strong, go out and pay attention to sunscreen; 5, do not go to the prohibited swimming, prohibited fishing waters swimming, fishing, in case of accidents.

South Africa's climate is pleasant, the seasons are clear, due to the temperature difference between the morning and evening, here in the summer without heat, winter without cold. December - February for the summer, June to August for the winter. The sunshine is sufficient throughout the year, the rainy season (October to March) has abundant precipitation, and winter is the dry season, the climate is dry, more suitable for human habitation.

Tourist cities and attractions are mainly Pretoria, Cape Town (Table Mountain, the Cape of Good Hope, Robben Island, etc.), the Garden Route (Nisna, Moshobaai, George, Ong Tsoi and other municipalities), the Kruger National Park, the Dragon Hill National Park, the Sun City and the city of Jo'burg near the tourist and entertainment venues and leisure centers.

South Africa's hotels and restaurants have better facilities, but the price is more expensive, star-rated hotels in general standard room costs about 80 U.S. dollars / day, around the world, there are also cheap B + B family-style hostels, the price of per capita 20 U.S. dollars / day. South Africa's major cities have Chinese restaurants, including Johannesburg and Pretoria Chinese restaurants, mainly Cantonese cuisine.

Cape Town, Cape Town Hotel, Table Bay Hotel, Holiday Inn, Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town; Pretoria's Sheraton Hotel, Teufeld Hotel, Arcadia Hotel; Johannesburg's Hilton Hotel, SANDTON Holiday Inn.

There are no direct air routes between China and South Africa, and now you still have to transit in Hong Kong by air. At present, Hong Kong Cathay Pacific Airways and South African Airways have daily flights between Hong Kong and Johannesburg.

The peak tourist seasons in South Africa are Christmas (mid-December to early January) and Easter (mid-April).